for those having trouble spawning their fish

[aspen]

he he, that got your attention i guess! i found this article by randy carey, and it contains a good outlook on why fish will or will not spawn, and what has given him success. i hope that you like it. look for the article 'like a breath of fresh air'. all of the other articles are in the 'must read' category too. a real good site, imo.

rick

http://www.characin.com/carey/articles/index.html

 

[Neil]

aspen,
I looked at Careys' article and think that he offers some good advice. It has been my experience that Dwarf Cichlids, especially West Africans, are prone to spawn under changing conditions or transitional periods. Even for brief transitional periods. I have even had success once, by taking a pair of P.taeniatus "Moliwe" (that had shut down after 1 spawn) for a 4-hour car ride (a family trip to a relatives for the afternoon). I had given up on constant water-changes to trigger them, but I didn't know what else to do. So I figured that I would stress them a little and then treat them well. When I got back, I did a large water-change and put them back in. They spawned the next day.
There has been numerous times where spawning comes shortly after a period of less-than-favorable conditions to good conditions. And the parameters of these changes can include all kinds of things. That seems to leave open a myriad of possibilities for tools that someone could use to spawn troubling species.
Good find aspen and good article Randy. Neil

 

[Tina]

aspen, I have moved your post to Breeding and Husbandry. It is seems to be about breeding all fish (dwarfs), so I thought it appropriate to place it there. I hope this is ok.
tina

 

[aspen]

no problem

 

[aspen]

neil, one of the great things about the internet is the wide variety of things you can find if you spend some time now and then looking around. the other really great thing is, when you find a person with some great experience in an endeavor you have had good or little success in, there is often a person behind that article who is happy to share their experiences via e-mail. i have been able to learn a great deal this way, and have correspoded with randy carey, and quite a few other published and non-published authors. it is always nice to find someone like karen randall having responded to a q when you get home from a day's hard work.

my advice is to send an e-mail to people either inquiring further to an article, or just to say that you have enjoyed something that you have read, and try and create a relationship with people you find interesting. you never know where it can lead.

have a nice day, rick